Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Fire District 12 is set to lose its insurance Friday and can’t provide EMS services until new coverage is found, Commissioner Nick Jones told community members Monday at a meeting in the Matlock Grange. Jones said Fire 12’s insurer, VFIS, canceled the policy due to “serious failure” to comply with financial reporting and accounting, among other things. The insurer sent a certified letter to Fire 12 “but no one ever received it. It got returned back to VFIS,” Jones said. Jones then read a portion of the letter. “The reasons for this policy c...
In the City of Shelton in 2023, sexual and aggravated assaults increased from the previous year, while burglaries, thefts and larcenies, hit-and-run incidents and criminal traffic citations decreased. But no big trends emerged from the figures compiled in the Shelton Police Department’s annual report, Chief Chris Kostad told the Shelton City Council May 7 at its regular meeting. “Everything is pretty much consistent with the past couple years,” said Kostad, who replaced the retiring Carole Beason in November. The department’s call for service...
The Mason County Planning Advisory Commission presented draft short-term rental regulations to Mason County commissioners in a workshop May 7. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin said the briefing was “only a work study” and nothing had been finalized yet regarding potential new rules. “The Planning Department has been directed by the Mason County Board of Commissioners to review the short-term vacation rental (Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, etc.) situation in Mason County. The county has never regulated, nor does it currently regulate short-term renta...
I received a text Thursday morning from our youngest son, Ryan, a 19-year-old almost junior at the University of Washington in Seattle. His text included a photograph of the Quad, a pastoral rectangle of stone and flora on the campus that’s hemmed in by Gothic academic buildings. The rectangle is filled with cherry trees, finely tended grass, and it’s segmented by several brick walkways, all precisely considered and precisely placed. You feel smarter just walking through it. But the pho...
Advice for Shelton graduates Editor, the Journal, Subject: Advice for SSD graduating seniors Managing your money and planning for the future are such a big part of being an adult. In life you will find that not all people or organizations are good at managing their money. Don't follow the example the Shelton School District has set for you regarding money management. Do set aside a reasonable reserve for those rainy days that will surely come. You see, SSD has been borrowing from the Mason...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening selected Lyndsey Sapp to replace Joe Schmit on the seven-member council. The council chose Sapp from four candidates following interviews at the work session at the Shelton Civic Center. Sapp will be sworn in at the council’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Schmit’s resignation was announced at the April 2 council meeting, giving the city 90 days to find a replacement. The term expires at the end of 2025, so the seat will be up for grabs in the November 2025 election. In an interview with the Jou...
Six men are competing for two seats on the three-member Mason County Commission in the Aug. 6 primary election, with the two top vote- getters in each race facing off in the November general election. Mason County Commissioner Randy Neatherlin last week filed to run for another term representing District 1. Neatherlin, who is running as an independent, faces two Republican challengers, William Harris and Ted Jackson. Kevin Shutty declined to seek another term representing District 2. Seeking the seat are Republicans Richard Beckman and Pat...
Time is running short to people to register for the Goldsborough Creek Fun Run and Walk, a Mason County Forest Festival event, scheduled to kick off at 7 a.m. June 1, with the 7-mile walk event. The 7-mile run, 2-mile run and walk begin at 8 a.m. The quarter-mile Junior Jog will begin at 9:30 a.m. prior to the Kiddie Parade and Paul Bunyan Parade at 11 a.m. All participants must pick up their competitor number and Forest Festival button at the registration desk in front of the Shelton Post Office beginning at 6 a.m. before boarding the bus to...
StoryTrail event for kids at Bayshore The Shelton Timberland Library and the Capitol Land Trust host a StoryTrail event from Saturday through the end of August at the Bayshore Preserve, at 3800 state Route 3, 3 miles north of Shelton. StoryTrails combine a love of nature and reading. Pages from the children’s book “How to Find a Bird” by Jennifer Ward will be spaced out along the Johns Creek Trail in large signs. Birding concepts from the book will unfold and come to life as children progress through the pages along the trail. The book is de...
A man recovering from hip replacement surgery alleges that his Mason General Hospital nurse improperly asked him to walk on his own, causing him to fall and break his leg. Bryan Palmer claims his 2021 surgery “was uneventful and went as planned,” in a suit against Mason Public Hospital District No. 1 dba Mason General Hospital filed May 10 in Mason County Superior Court. Palmer says his injuries happened after a nurse failed to help him walk while he was on medication, still recovering from the surgery. “Following surgery, the plaintiff was m...
Three men convicted of killing a Seabeck family, including the father whose body was discovered on a tree farm in Mason County, were sentenced to life in prison May 7. Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Kevin Hull handed down a life sentence without the possibility of parole to Danie Kelly Jr. and brothers Robert and Johnny Watson for the murders. John Careaga, 43, his wife Christale Careaga, 37, and her 16-year-old son Johnathon Higgins and 16-year-old stepson Hunter Schapp were all killed in January 2017. The mother and sons were found...
Final weekend for Shelton musical Connection Street Theatre stages the musical Comedy “Something Rotten!” at 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church, 1212 Connection St., Shelton. The doors open 30 minutes before show time. Admission is $10 at the door or online at www.bit.ly/SRtix. Learn about initiatives on November ballot The League of Women Voters of Mason County hosts “An Informed Voter is a Powerful Voter” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Olympic College Shelton library meeting room, 937 Alpin...
Starting Saturday, nature and train buffs can pedal on railroad tracks on the 13-mile roundtrip from the former Simpson Lumber Camp 1 to Shelton West of U.S. Highway 101 and back, past Dayton farmlands and into the woods along the Goldsborough Creek. Vance Creek Railriders offer trips on the four-seat railriders at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. on Thursdays through Mondays, with no service on Tuesday or Wednesday. Patrons are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to check in at the of...
After a quartet of specials near the end of last year, the latest season of "Doctor Who" is underway on its new American streaming home of Disney+, so with a little more than three aired episodes under his belt, it's time to take stock of the 15th Doctor, played by Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa. Alert viewers may have already spotted Gatwa as one of the army of Kens who populated the cast of last year's "Barbie" (sporting frosted blond hair, no less), but what strikes me about his...
Shelton baseball Shelton’s season came to an end May 8 with a 2-1 loss against Mark Morris in the 2A District IV baseball tournament at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex. Shelton ended the season 11-8 overall. North Mason softball North Mason won 8-7 against Bremerton on May 8 in Belfair and lost 9-5 against Bainbridge on May 9 in Belfair and ended the regular season with a 15-0 loss against North Kitsap on May 10 in Belfair. The Bulldogs ended the regular season 9-10 overall and 4-10 in Olympic League games. As of Tuesday, the 2A D...
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4 When you are asked what you want for your birthday or Christmas, do you have a long list of stuff you want? Or maybe just a few things? Depending on your hobbies and interests, you will usually ask for things you desire. But what about the people who say, “I don’t know what I want. Surprise me!” Many people ask me: how do I know I’m doing what I think God wants me to do? Over the years my answer was simple: “I would not have chosen this lif...
North Mason Regional Fire Authority will have a levy restoration proposal on the Aug. 6 ballot that will allow the district to add two firefighters, according to the department’s statement about the levy. NMRFA saw a 53% increase in call volume in 2023 compared with 2009, when voters approved the last levy. In 2009, the levy rate passed was $1.49 per $1,000 of assessed property value. State law now limits an increase of 1% per year for the fire levy collection, meaning NMRFA currently collects $0.81 per $1,000 of assessed property value. T...
Mary was quite a social person. She loved to talk with people, and I always love how she mentions "it was a good chat." I remember when people came over to our house they would go outside with Mom and look at all the flowers. People do not seem to do that as often these days. I wonder what two new dances Mary learned? Monday, May 8, 1950 Very warm out but just as I took all my work outside it began to blow so I did part of it and took the rest inside. Sam came home with all my parcels but one....
Robert Duncan Chamberlain passed away in Shelton, WA, on March 18, 2024, at the age of 93. He was born May 4th, 1930, in Tenino, WA, to Robert and Bertha (Godfrey) Chamberlain, who had moved there from Alberta, Canada. Bob was the fifth of seven children. In the mid-thirties, the family moved to a rustic property between Tenino and Tumwater. Bob attended the one-room Plumb Station School, which fostered fond memories. He graduated from Tenino High School. Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army in 19... Full story
Ollie Anna Stoner passed away May 9, 2024 surrounded by family. She was born January 15, 1940 to John and Cora Kozlowske here in Shelton, Washington. On January 30, 1955, Ollie married Perry Stoner. Together they raised three children Patrick, Douglas, and Terry, and then along came Wanda. They had four grandchildren, Gabe, Jesse, Leela, Christel and nine great-grandchildren, as well as one great-great-grandchild. All were greatly loved by Ollie. Ollie was a devoted wife who said Perry was the... Full story
Caroline Ann Tuttle, age 79, passed away on May 1, 2024. She was a beloved mother, wife, sister and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Carol was born on July 25, 1944, in Hanford, California to Harvey and Hilda Currie, and spent her formative years in Seattle, Washington. She attended Auburn Academy where she met and married the love of her life, Philip Eugene Tuttle, Sr. Her dedication was to her family, and she chose to be a homemaker, so she could be home with her three children. She also did in-home daycare for friends... Full story
Cheryl Ann Janssen (Shepard) 65, of Shelton, WA, passed, Dec 11th, 2023. Cheryl was born August 22nd, 1958 to Wallace Earl Shepard and Alice Darlene Shepard. She passed away at her home in Shelton, where she resided and was deeply loved and cared for by her devoted husband Paul Janssen. Cheryl was preceded in death by her father, Wallace, her brother Russell Shepard and foster-brother James Finucane. Cheryl is survived by her husband Paul Janssen of Shelton, mother Alice Shepard (Clackamas,... Full story
